Apparatus for producing sculptured effects on pile fabrics

ABSTRACT

AN APPARATUS AND PROCESS IS DESCRIBED FOR MOVING A SERIES OF JETS IN TWO DIRECTION OVER A FABRIC, WHICH MAY ALOS BE MOVING, OR IN ONE DIRECTION IF THE FABRIC MOTION PROVIDES THE OTHER, OR THE JETS MAY BE STATIONARY AND THE FABRIC MOVING IN ONE OR MORE DIRECTIONS. THE JETS ARE IN A HEATER MANIFOLD AND INDIVIDUALLY SUPPLIED BY CONNECTORS HAVING INDIVIDUAL MICROMETRIC VALVE ADJUSTMENTS, THE HEATER HEAD BEING ADJACENT THE JETS AND THE AIR AND CONTROL VALVES BEING LOCATED WHERE THEY ARE NOT AT HIGH TEMPERATURE. MEANS ARE ALSO DESCRIBED FOR TILTING THE JET HEADS SO THAT THE JETS MAY DIRECT HOT FLUID, SUCH AS HOT AIR, AT AN ANGLE WHICH IS ADJUSTABLE FROM 90*. THE BLAST OF HOT FLUID FROM THE HEATED JETS SOFTENS THE NAP OR PILE OF THE FABRIC AND ALSO BENDS IT DOWN, SO THAT A SCULPTURED EFFECT IS PRODUCED WHICH RESISTS NUMEROUS WASHINGS. TYPICAL FABRICS ARE NAPPED ACETATES AND OTHER SYNTHETIC FABRICS WITH THERMOPLASTIC THEADS.

Oct. 19,- 1971 i c, p MAZZQNE EI'AL 3,613,186

APPARATUSHTYOR PRODUCING SCULPTURED EFFECTS ON FILE FABRICS Filed Oct.7, 1969 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 I//IIIIllII IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIITIIIIIINVENTOR. CHARLES P. MAZZOIVE HERBERT J. P/KE A TTOR/VEY Oct. 19, 1971c. P. MAZZONE ETAL 3,613,186

APPARATUS FOR PRODUCING SCULPTURED EFFECTS ON FILE FABRICS 1Sheets'Sheet 2 Filed Oct. 7, 1969 FAB/WC .lllllllll INVENTOR. CHARLES P.MAZZONE HERBERT J PIKE ATTORNEY Oct. 19; 1971 c. P. MAZZONE ETALAPPARATUS FOR PRODUCING SCULPTURED EFFECTS ON FILE FABRICS Filed Oct.'7, 1969 4 Sheets-Sheet 5 CHARLES F. MAZZO/VE HERBERT .1. PIKE Oct. 19,1971 c. P. MAZZONE EIAL 3,613,186

APPARATUS FOR PRODUCING SCULPTURED EFFECTS ON FILE FABRICS Filed on. 7,1969 4 Sheets-Sheet 4.

INVENTOR. ff/$25? f y? ZONE ATTORNEY United States Patent ()1 ice3,613,186 Patented Oct. 19, 1971 3,613,186 APPARATUS FOR PRODUCINGSCULPTURED EFFECTS ON PILE FABRICS Charles P. Mazzone, Dover, andHerbert J. Pike, Martinsville, N.J., assignors to J. P. Stevens & Co.,Inc., New

York, N.Y.

Filed Oct. 7, 1969, Ser. No. 864,437 Int. Cl. D06c 23/00, 29/00 U.S. Cl.26-2 R 9 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE An apparatus and process isdescribed for moving a series of jets in two directions over a fabric,which may also be moving, or in one direction if the fabric motionprovides the other, or the jets may be stationary and the fabric movingin one or more directions. The jets are in a heater manifold andindividually supplied by connectors having individual micrometric valveadjustments, the heater head being adjacent the jets and the air andcontrol valves being located where they are not at high temperature.Means are also described for tilting the jet heads so that the jets maydirect hot fluid, such as hot air, at an angle which is adjustable from90. The blast of hot fluid from the heated jets softens the nap or pileof the fabric and also bends it down, so that a sculptured effect isproduced which resists numerous washings. Typical fabrics are nappedacetates and other synthetic fabrics with thermoplastic threads.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION There is a considerable demand for pile ornapped fabrics which have sculptured designs. In the past this has oftenbeen done by cutting nap or pile threads to form depressed lines orvalleys. Very beautiful designs can be produced, but the cost is highand the machinery required very expensive and complicated. This highcost has seriously restricted the field of use of such sculpturedfabrics.

Numerous pile or napped fabrics are .made with threads of syntheticmaterials which are thermoplastics, such as cellulose acetate,polyesters, polyamides, and the like. It was proposed to emboss designswith heated gravure rolls but the procedure has presented a number ofpractical limitations. The rolls are very expensive, and of course aseparate roll is needed for each particular design. Other and even moreserious limitations are imposed by the fact that there is a directcontact of the metal roll with the threads of the pile fabric and thishas required very critical temperature control, as if the roll is toohot, ends of threads can melt instead of soften, and stick to the roll.This has necessitated as a practical matter using temperaturessufficiently low so that this does not occur. However, when this isdone, the sculptured designs may not be permanent, particularly withacetate fabrics, and disappear after one or a small number of washingsand have never been practical with napped fabrics in which the nap isbrushed, resulting in breaking of the ends of the threads, and practicalsculptured designs in acetates, such as triacetate, have not beenachieved. Where a fabric is to resist a number of washings, for examplefive or more, the gravure roll embossing process has not beenpractically successful.

An interesting apparatus has been proposed and is described in the Thalet al. Pat. 3,256,581, of June 21, 1966. This apparatus involves acombustion chamber in which fuel and air is burned to produce hot gaseswhich are then manifolded and led through individual flexible pipes toindividual jets. The jets can be moved along or across a fabric and canslide on rods being guided by the jets moving in slots of a metal guide.The shape of the slots of course causes the jets to slide sideways ontheir rods where the slots are curved. It is possible to use the Thal etal. device to produce sculptured pile fabrics without touching thefabric with hot metal as in the hot roll process described above.However, in certain respects the Thal et al. device has given rise to anumber of problems, with the solution of which the present inventiondeals. When hot gaseous jets are used, it is essential that an exact andprecise control of temperature and gas flow to each jet be maintained,because, contrary to an engraved roll, where there is a firm metaldesign pressing into a pile fabric, the threads have to be softened andblown down by contact with the hot gas blasts from the jets. Thisprecision of control is very diflicult to achieve in the Thal et al.device and practically impossible to maintain exactly uniform. Thecombustion of fuel in the burning chamber of Thal et al. produces gasesthe exact temperature of which is diflicult to control. The problem ismade more difficult by the fact that each jet receives the hot gasesthrough relatively long, flexible pipes or tubes, which are quite longand introduce an amount of cooling which in practice will result invariation in temperature for different jets during operation.

An equally serious problem raised by the Thal et al. device is anexactly uniform gas flow. Micrometric flow valves are very diflicult tomaintain at the high temperature of the combustion gases. In the Thal etal. device there are no individual micrometric valves. This makesprecise flow control impractical to maintain, just as the long flexibleconduits make exact temperature control to individual jets equallyimpractical. This is not to say that the Thal et al. machine cannot beused to produce sculptured effects on deep pile fabrics, but theprecision of control is seriously compromised, and so far as is known,the Thal et al. device has never been practically usable to producesculptured fabrics with brushed napped fabrics, and particularly withsuch fabrics of triacetate. With very deep sculpturing in deep pilefabrics, the variation from jet to jet might be tolerated better,although, of course, such variation is not desirable.

Another practical problem presented by the Thal et al. device is thatthe jets have to be in a fixed position at right angles to the fabric inorder to follow the guiding slots. For some purposes, particularly withbrushed napped fabrics, better results can be obtained if the jets aresomewhat slanted. Also, because the jets have to follow slots, thisimposes a certain limit on machine output due to the relatively highfriction in the curved slots. Furthermore, Thal et al. describes anintermittent, rather than a continuous operation.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention covers a process andapparatus which in one aspect may be considered as an improve ment overthe machine of the Thal et al. patent. It is an advantage thatimprovement is obtained without any sacrifice of any of the desirablefeatures of the patent. The invention will first be described in itsapparatus aspect.

Instead of individually movable jets, in the present invention the jetsare rigidly mounted in a heater head and heated by indirect contact,such as electrical heating elements and the like. The rigid, hot head isconnected to a similar rigid air manifold by tubes for each jet, whichare preferably quite short, each tube being provided with amicrometrically controllable flow valve, the structure including hotheater head, and the relatively cool air manifold is moved as a whole intwo directions by sliding the manifolds on slide bars in a frame andmoving the whole frame at right angles to this motion.

It is also possible to tilt the manifold and the head, together with thejets, to permit discharging the fluid, such as air, from each jet at anangle to the fabric which moves below the head. Positive and precisetilting control is included. The motion of the manifold and heater headin the two directions may be effected by any suitable means. A verysimple and reliable means which is preferred is by the well knownadjustable double-acting air cylinders which drive the framework andwithin it the manifold and head by cables. The length of each movementcan be individually controlled by stops and suitable microswitches whichcontrol conventional solenoid-operated air valves on the cylinders.Speed of each movement is adjustable by throttling adjustments on thetwo pairs of cylinders, and may be varied so that there will be adifferent speed of movement in one direction from that in another wherethis is desired for certain particular patterns. Speed, and henceoutput, is not restricted by high friction guide slots and can be ashigh as the effective temperature and air jet velocities permit withparticular fabrics. The designs which can be sculptured on brushedfabrics, such as brushed acetates, acrylics, and the like, are quitepermanent and withstand many washings without significant loss of thesculptured appearance.

Variation in design can also be introduced by having somewhat differentair flows in some of the jets than in others. This can be preciselyadjusted because the adjustment valves are operating at low temperatureand they stay in adjustment once set.

For certain designs the motion of the fabric itself, in at least onedirection, may be synchronized with the movements of the air manifoldand heater head, or these may be stationary.

Because the flow to each jet is controlled by a micrometric valve of itsown operating in a low temperature environment, it becomes practical tocut off the flow in certain jets altogether in order to produce adifferent design or pattern. This confers an added versatility which isnot practical with jets which are supplied each with their individualnon-adjustable flexible tubing.

Since the action of the preferred air cylinder drive or of others iselectrically controllable, this makes it possible to control patterns bysimple computers, which permits an extremely wide choice of patterns.'It is not necessary to use different slotted plates for each pattern,and this is an'additional advantage of the present invention.

Another practical operating advantage is presented by the factthat manyof the components, such as air cylinder drives, electric heatingelements, and the like, are commercially available products, whichfurther reduces the cost of the machines of the present invention.

Reference has been made above to operating the apparatus of the presentinvention and/or performing the process with a continuous movement ofthe fabric being sculptured. For many purposes and with many designsthis is desirable, but the invention is in no sense limited thereto asit is perfectly possible to move the fabric intermittently, in whichcase compound motion of framework and manifolds and heads within it isusually necessary. If desired, during the intermittent movement, flowthrough the jets can be temporarily shut off by a suitable ON and OFFvalve to the compressed air supply. It is also possible, of course, tolift up the jets, but this requires further complications if it is to beeffected during the operation of the machine, and is, in general, notpreferred.

In addition to the improved apparatus, the present invention alsoinvolves an improved process, as it makes practical, for the first time,sculpturing fabrics which thermoplastic surfaces, such as brushed naptriacetates, to produce sculptured effects which are washable. Theprincipal use of the present invention is for producing actualsculptured effects; however, in some cases it may be used for producinga design on the surfaces which shows up later on dyeing.

4 BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is an elevation insemi-diagrammatic form;

FIG. 2 is a similar elevation at right angles to FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is an enlarged detail similar to FIG. 2 but showing tiltadjustment;

FIG. 4 is a section through the heat head at one jet;

FIG. 5 is a plan view looking down at the same location as FIG. 4, and

FIG. '6 is a diagrammatic representation of a fabric with a simpledesign being produced.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Looking at FIG. 6, the fabric,which is shown as moving, is designated 1. In the figure a heater blockhead 2 is shown with jets 3 which produce a wavy pattern 30 as thefabric moves from left-off roll 29 to take-up roll 31. As FIG. 6 ispurely diagrammatic, the means for imparting motion to the heated blockand its jets and their particular design is not shown.

FIGS. 1 and 2 show the motion of the air manifold, heater block and jetsin somewhat greater detail. The block and jets bear the same referencenumerals as above in FIG. 6. Air is introduced into an air manifold 4from a source of compressed air (not shown). Each jet is connected fromthe air manifold 4 through the heater block 2 by individual tubes '5,which in FIG. 1 are shown diagrammatically as lines. The tubes are veryshort as compared to the manifold and heater lengths, for example aboutan order of magnitude shorter. The unitary structure of manifold andheater block can slide on guide bars 12 by slides 11 which are connectedto it and which, in turn, are connected to each other with a rod 13. Theguide bars 12 are mounted in a movable framework 10 which can move atright angles to the movement of the manifold and heater block on wheels18- which run on triangular tracks 19 on the floor 20 on which the wholemachine is mounted. Reciprocation of the rod 13 is by a double actingair cylinder 14 which, being of well known design, is shown more or lessdiagrammatically. The cylinders move a cable 16 which drives the rod 13through a projection 32. Reciprocation of the air cylinders is effectedby a standard design of control valve and air regulator 15, which issold, for example, by the Schrader Company, and as it is a well knowndesign is shown in FIG. 1 in purely diagrammatic form. Heat is appliedto the heater block by wires 34 controlled by a temperature control 33.As these devices are standard elements, the showing is purelydiagrammatic.

Turning now to FIGS. 2 and 3, it will be seen that the pipes connectingthe air manifold 4 are provided with micrometric air flow control valves6. These valves are also of known design and are actuated by amicrometric vernier knob 35 similar in design to that appearing onmicrometer calipers. As these valves are of a known design, they areshown only in outline since the internal structure is not changed bytheir incorporation into the present invention.

FIG. 3 shows the manifold 4 attached to a plate 7 which can beadjustably tilted by bolts 8 and cams 9 bearing on extensions of theslides 11. FIG. 3 shows an adjustment which has slightly tilted the jets3 in the heater block 2. This figure also shows the electric heatingrods 27.

FIG. 2 illustrates the motion of the framework 10 in more detail than isshown in FIG. 1. The frame, which is carried by the wheels 18, as hasbeen described, is moved by another air cylinder 21 of the same designas the air cylinder 14 in FIG. 1, which also drives a cable 22 thatattaches to a projection 23 on the frame. The length of travel both ofthe framework 10 in FIG. 2 and of the manifold and heater block withinthe frame in FIG. 1 is controlled by adjustable stops 17 in FIG. 1

and 24 in FIG. 2. In the latter figure it will be seen that at theextremes of travel they strike microswitches The same is true of thestops 17 in FIG. 1, but in order to maintain the clarity of the figureand its semi-diagrammatic form, the microswitches are not shown. Theswitches of course control the Schrader motion control valves byconventional electric control, which is, therefore, also not shown.

FIG. 4 is a cross-section through the heater block 2 taken at one of thejets and showing the passage 26 for the jet, which has been removed fromFIG. 4 in order not to confuse the drawing. In order to produce moreeffective heating surface from the rods 27, they are in heat conductingrelations with projections 28, which are best seen in FIG. 5. Theseprojections break up the air stream passing through the passage 26 toits jet. This also increases the hot surface in contact with the air.

Various different designs can be produced by placement of the stops 17and 24, which stops are fastened by set screws in the particularpositions, the screws not being shown. As the stops actuatemicroswitches in FIGS. 1 and 2, their control is essentially electric,and so, if it is desired to operate a machine by computer or otherdevice which sends its commands out electrically, the switches can bebypassed and the cylinder control valves directly operated by thecomputer-steered electric control. As the simple designs of computersfor patterns are Well known, they are not shown in the drawings. It is,howver, noted that where desirable an all-external electric control canbe used in place of the stops and microswitches which have beendescribed.

When the fabric shown in FIGS. 2 and 6 is a brushed nap syntheticfabric, for example a triacetate fabric, the design is sculptured intothe nap and is quite wash fast, without showing any significant changein design or appearance.

For certain fabric designs it is desirable to cut out of operation someof the jets, and this is simply done by closing their micrometricvalves. Since these valves have numbered positions, they can be broughtback to any particular flow rate which is desired where a design ischanged to one which uses all of the jets. The exact temperature and airflow through the jets depends on the particular fabric in which thesculptured design is to be made and also on the rate at which fabricmoves and jets move which is determined by the practically achievableoutput of the machine. For any particular fabric the valves 6 areadjusted for a particular flow together with a particular temperature onthe temperature control 33. When an entirely new fabric is to besculptured, it is sometimes necessary to adjust the valves andtemperature as well as speed of motion of the jets to achieve thedesired results. Once the desired pattern has been achieved by a fewroutine experiments, the settings of the temperature controller 33, thevalves 6, and the controls for air cylinder operation are noted, for, ofcourse, all of these controls have marks or dials, and whenever asimilar fabric design is to be produced, the controls are set to thepredetermined points for the particular fabric. Once set, they remainfixed and there is no problem of variable cooling through long flexibleconnecting tubes and the like. The pattern is accurately reproducedevery time. While the particular temperature used and air flow, whichdetermines, among other things, the actual temperature of the airleaving the jets, will vary with the particular fabric and type ofdesign, the invention is not limited to any particular temperature orair flow. The factors should be adjusted always within the range belowthat at which the nap of the fabric is melted to too great a degree.This is, of course, determined for every new fabric by the short seriesof routine tests for optimum temperatures which have been referred toabove.

It has been proposed in the past to actually burn sculptured patternsinto the pile of fabrics, either by heat or by chemical action. Whilewith great care sculptured patterns can be produced, control iscritical, and it is almost impossible to operate without some damage orweakening of the fabric itself. In the process of the present inventionand with the improved apparatus thereof, patterns can be produced withno damage to the fabric itself and with reliably reproducibleconditions, which do not even change with some changes in ambienttemperature because the jets are so near to the fabric that externalconditions within the range normally encountered in a factory have noeffect. Of course some elementary common sense must be used, and aviolent blast of cold air across the jets as the pattern is beingdeveloped should be avoided.

While the description of the apparatus emphasizes the flow of hot fluidsthrough the jets, this flow may also include finely divided solids, suchas pigments.

While the machine is primarily useful with brushed nap or pile fabrics,it can be used with other fabrics having a thermoplastic surface, eitherof thermoplastic fibers or a finish.

We claim:

1. In a machine for producing sculptured effects on fabrics havingthermoplastic surfaces by moving thereover in a predetermined patternjets emitting hot fluids to soften and sculpture the threads, theimprovement which comprises,

(a) a heated jet holding head provided with a plurality of jets andmeans for heating it uniformly at each jet,

(b) a fluid supplying manifold substantially unheated and connectingvalved conduits from said manifold extending to the jets in the heatedjethead, said manifold-jethead and connecting conduits constituting aunitary whole, the valves having micrometrically adjustable, actuatingmeans,

(c) means for reciprocating the manifold-jethead unitary structurethrough a predetermined path,

((1) means for reciprocating the manifold-jethead unitary structurethrough a second path at right angles to the first,

(e) the reciprocating means being positively power actuatable, and

(f) means for moving a napped or pile fabric to be sculptured in closeproximity to the jets in the moving jethead.

2. A machine according to claim 1 in which the head containing the jetsis electrically heated.

3. A machine according to claim 1 in which the connecting conduits areaxially much shorter than the manifold or jethead lengths.

4. A machine according to claim 3 in which the head containing the jetsis electrically heated.

5. A machine according to claim 4 in which the fluid is air and the headcontaining the jets is of metal in heat exchanging contact with theelectric heating means and presenting extensive surface to air flowingthrough the jets, whereby rapid heating of the air passing through eachjet is effected.

6. A machine according to claim 5 in which the air manifold-jetheadunitary structure is mounted in a framework and is slidable on guides,and the framework is mounted on wheels movable on tracks substantiallyat right angles to the sliding manifold-jethead structure.

7. A machine according to claim 6 comprising means for tilting themanifold-jethead unitary structure to a tilted position in a plane atright angles to the travel of said structure and maintaining the tiltedposition.

8. A machine according to claim 6 in which the sliding motion in theframework and the movement of the framework on its wheels are botheffected by double acting air cylinders and means are provided forelectrically controlling said cylinders to reciprocate themanifold-jethead structure and the framework in paths of predeterminedlength.

9. A machine according to claim 8 comprising means for tilting themanifold-jethead unitary structure to a tilted position in a plane atright angles to the travel of said structure and maintaining the tiltedposition.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS Steiner 262 Knowland et a1. 262Knowland et al. 262

Rice 28-72 Thal 28-72 8 3,256,581 6/1966 Thal et a1. 262 1,811,7506/1931 Furgang 6928 X 2,241,222 5/1941 Sonnino 262 R 5 FOREIGN PATENTS127,163 3/1948 Australia 262 R US. Cl. X.R.

